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3 9 5 About the Author From June 1967 through June 1968, TOM JOHNSON flew Huey “slicks” for A Company 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. During that time, he accumulated 1150 combat hours and 450 noncombat hours for a total of 1600 hours flying helicopters. Considering that the average civilian pilot will fly about 50 hours a year, he spent a lot of time with his feet off the ground. During his tenure in Vietnam, his unit was involved in major Air Cavalry operations including the battles of Song Re Valley, the Tet Offensive of 1968, and operations in Hue, and Khe Sanh. During the opening attack in the A Shau Valley battle in April 1968, he was shot down for the last time; he and his crew are among the few who survived the downing of 22 helicopters during this battle. His awards and decorations include the Air Medal with 5 Silver Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Having learned to fly at the age of 14, Tom became entangled with the Vietnam War because the military needed young helicopter pilots. As he put it, “The government gave me a choice: I could walk or I could fly, but either way I was going to Vietnam.” He lives in Carrollton, Georgia, and is still married to his high school sweetheart, Pat. They were married at 16 and 15 years of age, respectively, and together they have raised three daughters. Tom is president of Johnson Electric Motor Shop, JEMS Computer Systems, and JEMS Equipment Company, a motor shop equipment manufac- 3 9 6 ABOUT THE AUTHOR turing firm. He holds patent #4,753,148 for the first fully computerized light show of its kind, designed specifically for the entertainment industry. Of the thousands of helicopters that flew in Vietnam, two of them that Tom flew not only survived the war and were returned to the United States, but are now in museums. In 1996, Dr. Peter L. Jakab, curator for the Smithsonian NationalAir and Space Museum contacted Tom to inform him that UH-1 Army Huey serial number 65-10126, which he flew from June 1967 to September 1968, had been acquired by the museum for rebuilding and display. This helicopter is currently on display at the Smithsonian NationalAir and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. In 1998, Tom was informed that another Huey he flew can be found in the Pacific Coast Air Museum. This one can be seen on the Internet listed as the Iroquois at http://pacificcoastair museum.org/2002Site/aircraftPCAM/UH1_Huey/UH1_Huey_ home.asp. ...

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